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Case study: California Cafe

King of Prussia’s California Cafe, one in a national chain of restaurants, features a light control system that can instantly transform the look of a space. Control is provided by the Lutron GRAFIK Eye 3000 series, a preset light control system that makes the changes subtly without disrupting customers.

Lew Rosenberg, lighting designer for California Cafe restaurants, likes to use GRAFIK Eye light controls in his lighting designs because they allow him to incorporate numerous lighting zones without the hassle of individual switches and dimmers. "I don’t want the end users

to have to adjust that many different dimmers each day,” said Rosenberg, of Electrics Lighting and Design in San Rafael, Calif. “The fact that GRAFIK Eye is consistent on a daily basis is the main purpose to use it in restaurant lighting.”

Also, the ability to use one product no matter what lighting sources are available is a factor in Rosenberg’s decision to use GRAFIK Eye light controls repeatedly, no matter what project. GRAFIK Eye systems can control a variety of sources, important for most restaurant jobs like California Cafe that usually employ a variety of fixtures. In this case, Rosenberg’s design needed to provide a unified light control system that could be operated easily and quickly without guesswork of individual switches and dimmers. Essentially, light control that is smooth and subtle, but manageable. For example, in the King of Prussia restaurant, the GRAFIK Eye system controls individual wall sconces, overhead chandeliers, hanging lamps over each table and dramatic bar lighting, all of which employ a variety of sources.

The fade rate feature, which allows the lighting to fade between scenes instantly or up to one hour, is an added benefit in designing lighting for restaurants, especially when creating dramatic lighting and various moods for customers. “The changes happen so smoothly and subtly with GRAFIK Eye, one might not even notice at first,” said Rosenberg.

Rosenberg and the owners of California Cafe adjusted more than 40 lighting zones and fixtures in the restaurant to create four basic scenes for dining, all controllable from one four-button control located behind the bar.

A daylight setting opens the restaurant for the early lunch crowd, followed by a dusk setting for a late afternoon scene that takes into account ambient light from the indoor shopping mall where the restaurant is located. And a night setting provides intimate dining in the evening hours, followed by all lights on for a cleanup setting in the early hours of the morning.

Simplicity is the most important feature of the GRAFIK Eye system for restaurant manager John Miksa, who manages the King of Prussia restaurant for California Cafe. “The Lutron keypad is so simple to use,” said Miksa, who has been in the restaurant business for years but was first introduced to GRAFIK Eye when the restaurant opened in 1996. “Changes in lighting can really change the look of a space – transform it,” said Miksa. “I’ve told other restaurant managers about it. Every restaurant should have a system like this."